Description of Prior Art
Earlier anchored mines often weighed as much as 5,000 pounds for an anchored mine with anchor chain or cable and anchor block. This is 1,000 pounds per foot of coverage. At present there is no dual bouyancy mine with an extended appendage containing sensors to detect enemy ships and cause the mine to rise from its ballast anchored position on the ocean floor to become entangled by ship movement across it's path on the surface and being drawn by strong propeller suction, which is exploded by blows from the propeller damaging the critical shaft sea-water seal and bearing. This bearing is sensitive and critical at 5/10,000 of an inch out of alignment. Submarine launched mines are slow to be launched and endanger a large crew. This invention is light weight with it's 1/2" diameter appendage hose with minaturized sensing devices all together will be effective and weigh only 300 pounds for the mine and its 300 foot appendage. The twisting enemy ship's propeller with its powerful suction will draw the string like appendage to it and wind the appendage around the shaft and makes the mine explode. The flow of air currents on deployment and afterward sea currents keep the appendage fully stretched out from the heavier mine body. Enemy ship's approaching signals cause the anchored mine to blow it's ballast from mine and appendage and rise into the path of enemy shipping. A 300 pound 300 foot appendage mine weighs one pound per foot. A 5 foot anchored mine will very likely weigh with cable and anchor 5,000 pounds or 1,000 per foot.